DEPARTMENT: Pre-K 4 SA
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Kathleen Bruck
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Edvance Year 2 Evaluation Report
SUMMARY:
This item includes a briefing of Pre-K 4 SA's Year Two Independent Evaluation by Edvance Research.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On July 16, 2013, the Pre-K 4 SA Board of Directors approved a contract with Edvance Research in partnership with the National Institution of Early Education Research (NIEER) and Rutgers University to serve as the independent program evaluator.
Edvance Research Inc. is contracted to conduct eight independent annual evaluations, in conjunction with National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) and Rutgers University in New Jersey. The scope the of the annual evaluations for each school year includes: Demographic profile of children served in Pre-K 4 SA during the school year, Pre-K 4 SA annual student attendance, family engagement in Pre-K 4 SA family events, internal and external professional development efforts, overall teacher reported classroom practices and teacher-child interactional classroom quality in the Pre-K 4 SA classrooms, fidelity of implementation information for the education centers, and results from the GOLD assessment that was administered to children by Pre-K 4 SA teachers over the course of the year.
Edvance conducted student testing during the 2014-2015 school year, which was the second year of Pre-K 4 SA’s implementation. Results showed positive student achievement utilizing a nationally recognized testing instrument, Teaching Strategies Gold Assessment, which assesses developmental skills in the following areas: Cognitive, Literacy, Mathematics, Oral Language, Physical Skills, and Social-Emotional. This snapshot report shows the percentage of children at a particular level for each area of development.
On October 9, 2015 during the Pre-K 4 SA Board meeting, the Pre-K 4 SA Board of Directors received a briefing on the program's results from independent student testing that took place during the 2014-2015 school year.
ISSUE:
This item will provide a briefing on the Pre-K 4 SA Year Two Independent Evaluation by Edvance Research.
At the beginning of the 2014/15 school year, Pre-K 4 SA students trailed the nationally normed sample of children of the same age in all six measured outcomes. However, by the end of the pre-k year, this initial gap was reduced or eliminated across all six kindergarten readiness outcomes of interest. Specifically, by spring:
• Pre-K 4 SA students’ scores on the measures of Cognitive, Literacy and Mathematics exceeded that of the national sample;
• The gap in Oral Language skills was completely eliminated;
• The gap in Social-Emotional and Physical Skills were reduced significantly.
Edvance Research Inc. conducted the planned study, one of eight independent annual evaluations, in conjunction with National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) and Rutgers University in New Jersey.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is a briefing for informational purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is a briefing for informational purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is a briefing for informational purposes only.